Litigation
Environmental
Obermayer’s Environmental Law practice is known for successfully advising and representing clients on any matter in which environmental laws and regulations are implicated.
Print to PDFOur Environmental Law practice ranges from handling the complex – such as advising clients on comprehensive development projects – to obtaining straight-forward permits and approvals in a cost-effective, timely manner. Clients seek our help with federal and state litigation, enforcement proceedings, and administrative appeals for a vast assortment of concerns and industries. These include national waste-to-energy companies, defense contractors, cogeneration and small power producers, petroleum refiners, and municipalities.
Our Value
To better serve our clients, we co-founded the Environmental Law Network, an affiliation of regional law firms, engineering firms and regulatory analysts located in major cities throughout the Eastern United States. This network allows us to provide exceptionally efficient and expert advice on environmental concerns in most jurisdictions east of the Mississippi River. It also provides us with seamless access to a wide variety of technical, scientific, and engineering data and experts.
Our Clients
Our attorneys regularly provide comprehensive environmental counseling to businesses, agencies, and others with environmental concerns. These comprise regional port and railroad terminal operators, public utilities, transportation companies, bio-solid and wastewater technology companies, national and regional real estate developers, and multi-national and regional industrial entities engaged in landfill operations.
Our Focus
Our experience is across the board. Clients turn to us, for example, for representation on matters involving the use of Pennsylvania’s Land Recycling Program and of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s “Brownfields” program to promote reuse of real estate and to limit future liability for site developers. We also guide green developers through city and county approval processes, union concerns and building and zoning code issues. In addition, the members of our Environmental Law practice:
- Resolve insurance issues arising in connection with both environmental and property loss claims involving the release of pollutants;
- Serve as liaison or common counsel in multi-party litigations;
- Negotiate settlements in Superfund cases; and
- Enjoin governmental administrative actions, including imposition of Superfund liens by EPA and landfill closure orders issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
We also help accelerate issuance of air, water, solid waste and wetlands permits; overcome waste-to-energy, resource recovery and cogeneration facility financing, siting and permitting problems; guide clients through sophisticated real estate and corporate transactions, including complex acquisitions, divestitures, and bankruptcies; and negotiate settlements of enforcement orders issued by regulatory agencies.
Our attorneys have extensive experience and a demonstrated record of success in handling complex matters. These include first-party property insurance litigation; federal and state environmental litigation, including enforcement proceedings and administrative appeals; advising on project development; and obtaining permits and approvals. In addition, we provide comprehensive advice and counsel to insurers and insureds to resolve insurance issues arising in connection with both environmental and property loss claims involving the release of pollutants.
Other examples of our experience include:
- Using Pennsylvania’s Land Recycling Program and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s “Brownfields” program to promote reuse of real estate and to limit future liability for site developers;
- Successfully guiding developers who “build green” through city and county approval processes, union matters and building and zoning code issues;
- Resolving insurance issues arising in connection with both environmental and property loss claims involving the release of pollutants;
- Serving as liaison or common counsel in multi-party litigations;
- Negotiating settlements in Superfund cases;
- Enjoining governmental administrative actions, including imposition of Superfund liens by EPA and landfill closure orders issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection;
- Accelerating issuance of air, water, solid waste and wetlands permits;
- Overcoming waste-to-energy, resource recovery and cogeneration facility financing, siting and permitting problems;
- Guiding clients through sophisticated real estate and corporate transactions, including complex acquisitions, divestitures and bankruptcies; and
- Negotiating settlements of enforcement orders issued by regulatory agencies.
